The Fight: Peeta vs Gale
by Jack E. Jones
Summary: Gale fights Peeta, losing his sanity after a year of living in district 2. Will Peeta survive and get back to his beloved, or will he die at the hands of his former partner. This is not PeetaxGale. I hate those.


A year had gone by after the rebellion and the Hunger Games had ended. Many had tried to forget the games; others couldn't let it escape their minds. Peeta had been traumatized almost beyond repair, after being hijacked by the Capitol. Katniss had also been traumatized, losing many friends in the games and the whole war itself. But, when the war was over, Katniss began to realize she had been in love with Peeta, his strong arms embracing her and his kind blue eyes being reflected by the sunlight.

Another person had also been damaged beyond repair. He had been Katniss's best friend before the games. He had lived in the same part of the District that she had lived in. It was Gale Hawthorne. The muscular nineteen year old had fought to rescue Peeta, and bring him back to her. But, he had also loved her. He really had hated Peeta since he saw him. Not just because he was richer than him, but during the games when he watched her kiss his friend. The year before, he stated he tried to hate him, but couldn't. But, after that, the burning hatred for him began to spark, and then erupt into flame.

It wasn't his fault that Katniss's sister had died in a fire-bombing, even though it was his idea. But, she couldn't handle the thought of his idea killing her only sibling. It left her broken. It left her distrusting of him. And because of that, his rage had kindled. He had spent many hours, even days, or even months planning to murder his 'rival', and couldn't bring himself to do it. But, he finally lost his psyche when he heard Peeta had married Katniss. Now, he thought, was time for payback.

One night, Peeta began to take a walk around District 12 to catch some fresh air before falling asleep. Nightmares had plagued him for two years, and this time it wasn't different. Feeling adventurous, he decided to crawl under the fence of the border surrounding 12. He had never ventured into the forest before, but after the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, he thought he had enough experience in the woods, although it was somewhat simulated.

He ventured into the vast emptiness of the woods. Katniss had told him about the woods in stories they would tell to each other. She would tell him how alive she felt in there, and one day, had showed him the lake, even though it was only for a few minutes, as they had to go back before anybody worried about them. He walked towards the lake, with the moonlight giving the cool water's position away, and sat down on a log. He straightened his artificial leg on the ground, and began to drift off into a dream.

A few minutes, Peeta began to hear rustling in the woods. Thinking it was nothing more than a helpless raccoon or some birds, he paid no mind. What he didn't realize was that a few yards behind him, was his soon to be attacker, Gale. As Peeta looked longing into the lake, Gale lunged from the bushes and jumped towards his back. Peeta, becoming startled, managed to jump left onto the dirt floor, getting up and looking at his opponent.

He never realized it until the moon began to show. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

"Gale?" Peeta asks.

"Long time, no see, eh?" says Gale, in a somewhat disgruntled voice.

He lunged at him again, and Peeta was able to catch him and dodge his attack. As Gale got up, wiping dirt from his face, he began to take off his shirt.

"Take your shirt off." Says Gale.

Peeta looks somewhat puzzled, trying to piece the order together.

"Why?" he asks.

"I want to size up. I don't want to pick on a weakling." He says.

Peeta, feeling annoyed, a feeling he never had in a while, forcefully took his shirt off. His stocky build had seemed to impress Gale, his broad shoulders beginning to make him seem like a small wall. Peeta began to inspect his new enemy, his muscular build and tan skin somehow reminding him of Cato, the last tribute who's death he and Katniss shared. Peeta began to look into Gale's grey eyes, while he stared into his blue eyes. Peeta saw hatred, and Gale smirked a little when he saw fear in Peeta.

Gale began to walk up to him, like a gladiator sizing up his opponent. Being only a foot taller than Peeta, he began to feel cockiness and arrogance. Taking up a fighting stance, Gale began to mock Peeta.

"Come on, let's fight." Said Gale.

"Gale, I don't want to. We've been through enough." Peeta replies.

"Oh, then I guess your too much of a wimp. You don't deserve Katniss. That bitch should've been my wife. I wish you would've died in the war. We would've been better off."

"Gale, please. This is too much. Don't bring Katniss into this. She's been through a lot."

"If I had been reaped instead of you," Gale says, "I would've breezed through that. But enough talk! Let's go!"

Gale throws a left hook at Peeta's face, with Peeta dodging it with only seconds to spare. He throws a straight punch into his stomach, making contact. Peeta tightens up his stomach to absorb the blow. As Gale, begins to wind up, Peeta tackles him to the ground. Being the good wrestler he is, he was able to tackle him with ease. He lands a few punches into his face when Gale reverses and throws him on his side. Using his elbow, he jams it into is right cheek twice. As he's about to land a third elbow to the temple, Peeta uses his powerful legs to launch him off of him and into a tree.

Peeta grabs his shirt and runs toward the outskirts of the district. But Gale eventually catches up to him. He grabs him by his arm and pulls him to his knees. He grabs his head and puts him in a chokehold, trying to squeeze every inch of life from Peeta.

"This is for Katniss! This is for my beloved!" yells Gale.

When all seems lost, Peeta jams his elbow into Gale's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Gale somehow begins to regain his air into his lungs after a few minutes, with Peeta limping away, his artificial leg, being twisted. He begins to stop to straighten his leg, and Gale begins to pull his knife. Before he can pull off a finishing blow, Peeta turns around and grabs the handle. As they begin to wrestle for the knife, Peeta uses his momentum from falling to knee his what was thought to be his friend in the face, making Gale pull away to protect it with his hands. Seeing his chance, he grabs his knife and slices Gale's neck. Gale brings his hands away from his face to see an astonished look on his face. While he falls to the ground, he tries to utter his final words, but is able to make out;

"But…I-I thought…"

Peeta begins to swarm with emotions after the move. He doesn't know if he should feel triumphant or guilty. Although he had tried to kill him, he couldn't help but feel upset at the loss. He had saved him from the Capitol's clutches and even had a small conversation with him, but after this fight, he couldn't help but feel upset. Steeling his face into a hard but mourning face, he picks up the body and lets it float in the lake, closing Gale's eyes before he let him sink to the bottom.

"Rest in peace, friend." Peeta says. "May you rest in peace."


End file.
